American Airlines Center scores with autonomous food & beverage destinations

AI-powered food & beverage markets blend frictionless and mobile ordering in debut at American Airlines Center in Dallas

Source: mentzerdrew / Unsplash

American Airlines Center announced the opening of two new frictionless food and beverage experiences. In collaboration with hospitality partner Levy and its innovation studio, DBK Studio, the center has opened a new Market To-Go shop on the arena’s terrace level, with a second location on the main concourse of the arena to open later this month.

Powered by autonomous retail technology from Standard AI and mobile payment technology from SpotOn, the markets are among the first food and beverage destinations at a North American sports venue that fully integrate AI and mobile payments for an autonomous experience.

“We are proud to be home to one of the first autonomous retail experiences at a major events venue. The fan experience at American Airlines Center is world-class, and with Standard we’re making it even better,” said Dave Brown, COO & General Manager of American Airlines Center. “Whether at a Mavericks or Stars game, or attending a world-class concert, our community expects and deserves the very best, so we continually strive to provide a cutting-edge experience for all fans in attendance. We know they’re going to love the new autonomous checkout experience.”

An easy way to get your beer

Market To-Go locations will offer a selection of freshly prepared and packaged snacks and refreshments, including select beer, wine, and soft drinks. The process is simple: Fans enter the market and quickly download a mobile checkout app. Once ready, they shop, tap to checkout via the app, and go - without having to wait in line. The shops use AI-powered cameras and mobile payment technology to create a checkout-free system that registers what products fans select and enables them to pay without waiting or scanning.

“Delivering amazing hospitality today means meeting fans with what they value most, and more specifically, giving them control over the time it takes to order, pick-up, and get back to their seats,” said Andy Lansing, President and CEO of Levy. “We value our fans and their time, and pilots like this with world-class venues like American Airlines Center are so important as we look to a future where truly frictionless concourses put fans in complete control. We’re incredibly excited to bring this fully integrated experience forward through DBK Studio in partnership with The Center.”

Cheering and singing, not standing in line

“Nowhere is your time more valuable than at a sporting event or concert. It’s where we cheer on our heroes and experience culture together. Autonomous checkout makes it so you can get back to your seat faster, and never have to choose between grabbing a snack and making a memory,” said Standard AI CEO and Co-founder Jordan Fisher. “We’re thrilled to make this possible at the American Airlines Center, one of the premier entertainment venues in the U.S.”

Standard AI worked with SpotOn, a leading software and payments provider, to leverage technologies for mobile payments and a fully integrated retail management system – the first of this kind of deployment in the sports and entertainment industry. Additionally, Standard AI’s platform is designed to work without ever using facial recognition, so customers’ privacy is protected.